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We are excited to introduce the Barbell Academy.  It reflects years of refining our material and coaching methodology.  It's designed for not only those who seek a career as a professional barbell coach but for those passionate to learn more and grow as a lifter and person.     The Barbell Academy will be self-paced, allowing for you to complete the course and future courses whenever you can--just...

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a bonus episode for you all on Black Friday:  a Thanksgiving message from Matt Reynolds and an update from Mike at MicroGainz. GET STARTED with one-on-one online coaching FOR FREE! Get your FIRST MONTH FREE on all strength and nutrition coaching plans.  No discount code needed and includes a 10-day, no obligation trial.   https://bit.ly/2MKeOoh Special offers from BLOC a...

Matt & Niki answer your questions.  Email questions to  podcast@barbell-logic.com  to receive an email answer and get your questions answered on the podcast.   Time stamps below do not include the ads. 4:44:  How does TRT impact the novice linear progression?  Should someone redo LP if they begin TRT, especially as an early intermediate? 9:39:  Should you do RDLs on a box or widen the grip if you...

Programming is, in large part, managing stress.  Life stress and your stress from all other aspects of your life besides the barbell counts to your total stress.  You can only recover from so much stress.  If you're beyond LP, you may have to reduce training stress.  Training in the gym may have to be fun, as it's important to maintain the habit and get something done.  You likely won't be able to...

In order to adapt, we have to recover.  If we're missing reps, our form is good, and we train consistently, we have to check to see if we're resting enough between sets.  We have to ensure we're getting adequate protein, calories, and sleep.  We must ensure there's no additional physical stress.  We have a few ways to manage recovery, if we've taken care of the above. The 4-day split is one of the...

We add stress during LP by adding intensity to a set volume.  Exercise selection, for the most part, stays the same.  After LP, however, how do we add stress?  We have volume, intensity, and exercise selection to play with. We essentially divide the volume and intensity stressors.  One session emphasizes volume, often 4x5 or 5x5.  The other emphasizes intensity, a top set of 5 or 2x3 or 3x2 or 5x1...

Block or conjugate programming is an advanced program that MED programming leads to naturally if a trainee lifts consistently over a long enough period of time.  It is essentially a 3 phase or block program, divided by deloads, where the primary stress is initially volume, then both, then intensity.   During the initial accumulation block, the lifter complete completes a high amount of volume at a...

Few lifters reach advanced programming, because it requires consistency over a long period of time.  Life too often interferes, whether it be injury, illness, vacation, or significant stressors.   The road to advanced programming requires putting the work in as a novice and intermediate, adding weight first every 48-72 hours and slowly the SRA cycle lengthens and complexity goes up.  This is accom...

RPE--rate of perceived exertion--is a subjective way to assess the difficulty of a set.  The set is rated with a number that roughly aligns with the number of reps in reserve--the number of reps the lifter believes he could complete if he went to failure.   RPE is great as a descriptive tool and can be used to cap or increase the intensity of a set based on how the lifter is performing on a partic...

Accessory lifts are lifts that are not variants of the main lifts but train similar or different muscle groups.  They may train antagonists of the muscle groups used in the main lifts.  We primarily use accessory lifts for the upper body. Common accessory lifts include chins up or pull ups, dips, lying tricep extensions, curls, and glute ham raises.   Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach...

We have two primary variables to manipulate to keep driving up stress and progress:  intensity and volume.  Frequency and exercise selection are secondary, as frequency is ultimately a function of volume.  Supplemental exercises are also a function of volume and intensity, as they either decrease or increase time under tension or the range of motion.   We have to build fatigue to increase performa...

Another model for performance allows us to better understand how we progress strength, especially when we move beyond the novice linear progression. The fitness fatigue model divides the positive and negative reactions into fitness and fatigue respectively.  The sum of these two is performance.  After a stress event, fatigue peaks before fitness, allowing the adaptation that we understand from the...

Why does LP end?  Is the lifter not recovering from the stress (too much fatigue) or is the lifter not delivering enough stress to disrupt homeostasis and recover?  It turns out, it's a little bit of both (though it differs for the different lifts) so we adjust training accordingly to continue progress.   During LP, the stress recovery adaptation cycle is clean--the workout is the stress, the lift...

What do you do when LP stops working and why would you make those changes?  In this episode, Matt delivers a lecture to college students about the reason underpinning his programming methodology. Programming theory comes from the stress, recovery, adaptation cycle, in which a lifter disrupts homeostasis with a stress, recovers, and then adapts to be able to prepare for a greater amount of that str...

We prioritize intensity over volume, simplicity over complexity, and economy--in time and stress.  Let's stick with simple as long as it works.  If you stick with training long enough, it will get complex, and volume will get high, and programs will take 8 or 12 or 16 weeks.  Enjoy the rapid, simple progress of novice and early post-novice training while it lasts.   GET STARTED with one-on-one onl...

Matt and Scott first discuss the idea of minimum effective dose programming, explaining why and how they modify programming to continue to drive strength adaptations for their clients.   What are the main cards we have to play to continue progress after LP?  They are intensity, volume, frequency, and exercise selection.  We drive intensity for intermediate lifters.  They have primarily done 5s, so...

Why does LP work, how do we modify for those who can't do it as prescribed, and based on what do we make necessary modifications?  In this episode, Matt & Niki delve deeper into exercise and programming criteria.   All lifters complete linear progression.  Linear progression is simply adding stress in a linear fashion--the stress goes up every session.  You can do this in running, push ups, or lif...

Strength makes us healthier and more capable.  The process of getting stronger refines us.  Sometimes, though, it's fun and motivating to just chase numbers.  If you're hungry to hit some PRs, listen on. When we chase numbers, we're prioritizing strength.  To truly prioritize big PRs, we have to adjust our life to support training.  We may have to dedicate more time to training.  We have to ensure...

Lifters typically complete LP on a 3-day-a-week total body program.  At some point, it makes sense for most lifters to move to a 4-day-a-week program, with one day emphasizing the primarily lower body lifts (squat and deadlift) and the other day emphasizing the primarily upper body lifts (bench and press).   The 4-day split increases the frequency of the upper body lifts from an average of 1.5 tim...

Old Man Texas Method serves as a post-novice program.  It differs from the typical Texas Method in that the volume is decreased, usually to 3 or 5 sets of 5 as opposed to the stereotypical 5 sets of 5.   Matt and Scott also discuss driving up the volume stress and intensity stress and how those two stresses differ.  Finally, they discuss not advancing too quickly--use one tool at a time, enjoy the...

Matt and Scott talk with Andy Baker about a variety of topics including HLM, why LP ends, the relationship between volume and intensity, and more.  Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation.   Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:  https://store.barbell-logic.com/match/ Special offers from BLOC a...

Wendler 5/3/1 is one of the most popular strength programs around, with dozens if not hundreds of variants.  In this episode, Scott and Matt discuss Matt's variation on it, which increases the volume and uses supplemental lifts.   Get Matched with a Professional Strength Coach today for FREE! No contract with us, just commitment to yourself: Start experiencing strength now:  https://store.barbell-...

A common question lifters ask is, "Do I need a deload."  The answer is usually, "No," but when and why should you deload, and what is a deload? A deload is a programmed decrease in stress--usually lasting a week--that allows fatigue to dissipate without detraining.  Potential indicators that a deload is warranted include a decrease in libido, bar speed, or desire to train. Without a coach, people...

Matt and Scott talk all things supplemental lifts:  how do they differ from accessory lifts, what are their favorites for the big 4 lifts, when to use them, and different types. Supplemental lifts are variations on the big 4 lifts.  They generally increase the intensity by decreasing the range of motion or increase the time under tension and decrease the intensity.  They are more specific to the b...

For many people, the biggest change during LP is not physical but mental.  Overcoming truly heavy weights improves mental toughness and builds confidence.  Once the initial novelty wears off and the weights grow heavy and move slowly, people often quit on doable lifts.  To complete PRs, to learn what you are capable of, and to undergo the refining process of voluntary hardship, you need to embrace...